Horites Cave-men, a race of Troglodytes who dwelt in the limestone caves which abounded in Edom. Their ancestor was "Seir," who probably gave his name to the district where he lived. They were a branch of the Hivites (Gen 14:6; Gen 36:20; Ch1 1:38, Ch1 1:39). They were dispossessed by the descendants of Esau, and as a people gradually became extinct (Deu 2:12).

Hormah Banning; i.e., placing under a "ban," or devoting to utter destruction. After the manifestation of God's anger against the Israelites, on account of their rebellion and their murmurings when the spies returned to the camp at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, with an evil report of the land, they quickly repented of their conduct, and presumed to go up "to the head of the mountain," seeking to enter the Promised Land, but without the presence of the Lord, without the ark of the covenant, and without Moses. The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down and "smote and discomfited them even unto Hormah" (Num 14:45). This place, or perhaps the watch-tower commanding it, was originally called Zephath (Jdg 1:17), the modern Sebaiteh. Afterwards (Num 21:1) Arad, the king of the Canaanites, at the close of the wanderings, when the Israelites were a second time encamped at Kadesh, "fought against them, and took some of them prisoners." But Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord utterly to destroy the cities of the Canaanites; they "banned" them, and hence the place was now called Hormah. But this "ban" was not fully executed till the time of Joshua, who finally conquered the king of this district, so that the ancient name Zephath became "Hormah" (Jos 12:14; Jdg 1:17).

Hornet Heb. tsir'ah , "stinging", (Exo 23:28; Deu 7:20; Jos 24:12). The word is used in these passages as referring to some means by which the Canaanites were to be driven out from before the Israelites. Some have supposed that the word is used in a metaphorical sense as the symbol of some panic which would seize the people as a "terror of God" (Gen 35:5), the consternation with which God would inspire the Canaanites. In Palestine there are four species of hornets, differing from our hornets, being larger in size, and they are very abundant. They "attack human beings in a very furious manner." "The furious attack of a swarm of hornets drives cattle and horses to madness, and has even caused the death of the animals."

Horse Always referred to in the Bible in connection with warlike operations, except Isa 28:28. The war-horse is described Job 39:19. For a long period after their settlement in Canaan the Israelites made no use of horses, according to the prohibition, Deu 17:16. David was the first to form a force of cavalry (Sa2 8:4). But Solomon, from his connection with Egypt, greatly multiplied their number (Kg1 4:26; Kg1 10:26, Kg1 10:29). After this, horses were freely used in Israel (Kg1 22:4; Kg2 3:7; Kg2 9:21, Kg2 9:33; Kg2 11:16). The furniture of the horse consisted simply of a bridle (Isa 30:28) and a curb (Psa 32:9).

Horse-leech Occurs only in Pro 30:15 (Heb. 'alukah ); the generic name for any blood-sucking annelid. There are various species in the marshes and pools of Palestine. That here referred to, the Hoemopis, is remarkable for the coarseness of its bite, and is therefore not used for medical purposes. They are spoken of in the East with feelings of aversion and horror, because of their propensity to fasten on the tongue and nostrils of horses when they come to drink out of the pools. The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis), besides other species of leeches, are common in the waters of Syria.